The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”

-Jack Kerouac

Madona and a Dolphin. Lucky Dolphin.

Note: This photo has been used without Gen’s permission. I strongly think she will find it very funny, but in my 20+ years of knowing her, i have been wrong once or twice. Why not just ask her you say? Because, want to use it and don’t want her to say ‘no’.

Sometimes I feel as though I am mad. I read Jack and listened to a lot of Madona when I was a young adult. Surrounding myself with their words made me feel alive. They encouraged the ravenous hunger in me to be the best and practice and master my craft.

Now as a female entrepreneur, it is only when I surround myself with the like-minded that I can find peace in my mad quest for this life. Life is shorter when you have kids and now watching two of them grow so quickly, it is as though there is a daily reminder of the passing of this life which makes me all the more anxious to get it all in.

Entrepreneur and Social Media Specialista Gwen Bell

One of my favorite ladies who packs loads of love into her life is Gwen Bell. From dancing salsa to advocating for the companies and people she loves, she teaches and learns with a fervor and desire. Using social media as her platform for a transformation of all interactions into good and effective change, Gwen is great example of a lady on line making her mark. If life is for sharing, then social media is a great place to create and be in community.

Dooce pregnant and exposing her skin ‘sans Dolphin’.

Even if it’s getting a little jump start from White Hot Truth, I have recently responded to my own needs to be with the mad ones. When I feel the urge to laugh, I have called upon that perfect person who makes me giggle. Sometimes I just need to read a little Dooce laugh my head off or feel connected as a mother. I have recently created dates with my husband when I have needed connection and make appointments with my business coach Heather White when I need to find a new path for my business. Putting yourself in contact via web, phone or in person with the people you need in a moment can save you from feeling alone as a female entrepreneur. It can save you from feeling down and enriches the experience if the experience of life is to be shared.

ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED. TRUST IN WHAT IS IN YOUR SOUL. GET TOGETHER WITH YOUR PEOPLE.

I intentionally surround myself with the mad ones cuz the ‘same-same’ got us into a mess and, let’s face it, being around the ‘same-same’ just makes me feel awkward.

NOTE: (To my husband who is never socially awkward) BEING SOCIALLY AWKWARD IS A SIGN OF BEING A GENIUS.

Finding like-minded madness is good for the improvement of your mental space, the growth of your business and the development and realization of the truth that was in you since the beginning and is dying to live amongst like minded-mad ones.

The other night I proved her wrong. There IS someone who waits at the ‘other side’ for us to post…we discovered that we have a faithful reader named Colin. This is my shout out. Thanks for coming out last night. Testing. Faithfulness testing.

If you are faithful and would like to be recognized, speak up and we’ll name you, mention your business or just give you a poke, nod, wink, or any other flirtatious-but-not-overtly-sexual gesture.

Thursday night was magical. I gave away 2 $400 paintings to the first couple of strangers, Jillian and Joel, to arrange a date at the show. Congrats guys! Here are some pics from Art Market, my latest show in Vancouver up till the 18th. Thanks again to everyone who was there!

I realised this week that I have not let my community be honest with me in awhile and that I am ready for some growth. I need to expand and improve and cannot do this on my own. Our coach, Heather White says, “The death of the entrepreneur is solitude!”

This was two years ago…outdoors…and so fun!

Last Sunday I taught a painting class. I love teaching and am learning how to be a better teacher. One way to do this is to send out a questionnaire. A questionnaire is a request for feedback and the odd comment about what you could improve on for those students brave enough to say that they had a complaint….scary for a new teacher but ABSOLUTLY essential. I also invite my coach to attend for free so that she can give me the invaluable advice on how to run the class better not only as a teacher, but to improve my profits. It was scary for me to have her there and expose myself like that, but no scarier than her having to paint for the first time since she was a child…tehe. SHE DID AWESOME!

Feel the fear and do it ANYWAYS!

I also recently called upon all the artist that I admire and respect in the Vancouver Area and asked them to come and critique my work at my upcoming solo show. That’s right; I invited them to critique my work. Though in other fields criticism may not be a common way to grow, it is as inherent in the arts as the use of paint. Art school is particularly concerned with crits and the assembly of twenty to thirty peers around a few canvases in an art school studio is about the most common use of tuition dollars. For better or worse, the crit is a bit part of growing as an artist and learning the language of how to discern that which is cohesive and essential in your work and that which the budding artist can eliminate in order to achieve maturity.

My puppy woke me up at 4 this morning. As she has done every day this week.

The downside to this is, well, rather obvious. The upside is that I now have 3 more hours a day to reflect.

So this morning, as I watched Lola chase her own tail around the living room, I gave more thought to our most recent meeting with our mentor, Heather White. Heather had invited author and serial entrepreneur, Christopher Flett, to join us. He is the go-to guy when it comes to professional development for women.

Zoe and I have a pretty exciting project in the works (I’m afraid it is still hush hush… we will share soon), but we had found ourselves a bit stuck. We had reached a point where we had lost momentum. We frequently receive all kinds of warm fuzzies about Loaded Bow, often embedded with the message if you build it, they will come. Except that we didn’t believe it. The whole ‘Field of Dreams’ thing didn’t really resonate with us, and one of our greatest fears was creating something that is either redundant or sub par.

Leaving our meeting yesterday, Zoe and I were back on track (I believe our exact words as we got into the elevator were, that was awesome). Chris and Heather offered invaluable insight and advice, and perhaps more importantly, reaffirmed that we’re heading in the right direction.

Generally speaking, we’re pretty confident and competent. So why did we have so much doubt? Perhaps it’s because we started our first business in Grade 3 making tie-dyed swimsuits and scrunchies to sell at school, so sitting in a board room together feels more like playing dress-up, than doing “real” business. But beyond that, I suspect we had fallen into a place that many women find themselves in. Is what we’re doing valuable? Is it feasible?

Paul Graham, [of]Y Combinator, has tackled this subject on his website. “The biggest reason founders stop working on their start-ups is that they get demoralized,” he writes. “Some people seem to have unlimited self-generated morale. These almost always succeed. At the other extreme, there are people who seem to have no ability to do this; they need a boss to motivate them. In the middle there is a large band of people who have some, but not unlimited, ability to motivate themselves. These can succeed through careful morale management (and some luck).”

Uhoh. That sounds familiar. So, what to do…? Start by taking a major inventory of what you’re doing, and where your fears are coming from. Second, surround yourself with people who can give you concrete, authentic feedback.

I have no doubt that both Heather and Chris are honest with us about our potential and what it is going to take to get where we want to go. Furthermore, they bring experience and knowledge that allows this feedback to be well-founded. As much as we love the kudos we receive from our friends (keep’em coming, ladies), it is a relief to hear from impartial sources.

So go find those people. It is amazing how much people are willing to help if you are willing to ask.

Thank you, again, Heather and Chris. Your time is valuable and much appreciated.

Gen and I have been with Wired Woman Vancouver for about 5 months now. A big part of their program is to hook up with our very own mentor for the year.

Heather White of 2020 Communications and She Team

Our Mentor is Heather White. Since we believe in blogs for spreading all necessary information to savvy young women like yourselves we have decided to share some really important articles by Heather for you to read. Get inspired and start your new business with integrity and a solid sense of vision. Here’s a dose of the good stuff by Heather White.

Who’s Winning? The Visionary vs. The Critic

On my desk I have a small plaque that reads “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new” and it’s so true. Earlier this morning I was in a training session and we were talking about the two “mindsets” that seem to reside in every individual. Firstly, there’s the visionary. That’s the voice, that when you were a kid, told you that you could be anything that you desired: astronaut, doctor, lawyer, actor, singer. It’s the part of you that believes anything’s possible, doesn’t take no for an answer and flies in the face of the fear of rejection.

What seems to happen as we get older is the voice of the visionary becomes quieter and another voice booms dominantly in our minds. This is the voice of the critic. The critic is the part of you that is paralyzed by the fear of rejection. It’s the voice that has all the excuses about why you can’t or shouldn’t pursue whatever desires you may have.

Further challenging the softening voice of the visionary is the rest of the world. What happens when you tell you parents, your peers, you colleagues, your friends about this off the wall new idea you have? Are they supportive or do they question the “how” in your new plans? Are they jumping in with ideas and brainstorming all the different ways you could accomplish something or are they quick to see all the reasons why it’s not possible or you shouldn’t pursue it?

I can’t begin to tell you the number of clients I’ve had that are working hard on pursuing their passion and living their dream only to be challenged by those around them about when they plan to settle down and get a “real job”?

This week take some time and listen to your inner voice. Who’s winning the battle between your ears – the visionary or the critic? Furthermore, look at your social and familial networks and check the pulse on which voice they are supporting. After all, the world is your oyster; only you can decide what experience you have while you’re here!

HEL-LO NEW YEAR! Last Thursday night was so inspirational and exciting. I got to see Heather in person at the Wired Woman event in Vancouver.

Heather White

Though Heather White has been our mentor for Loaded Bow and we have met with her one on one, in person she is fire. She was HILARIOUS, so relevent and very, very informativeve. Heather satisfied ever lady in the group with her wild stories, great metaphors and helpful tips to real frustrations that block women from excelling. If you are looking for a coach to take you further than you ever imagined, she’s the one.

If you are looking for a realistic way to get to vague destinations, this lady doesn’t believe in realistic and she has certainly never even been to the planet ‘vauge’!